10 december 2017

open gates

Murray & Zoe's Farm | Taranaki

From the farmers

Hi, we’re Murray and Zoe and we milk 770 cows near New Plymouth.

The original family block of 40 hectares was bought by Murray’s parents about 50 years ago and, as neighbouring farms became available to purchase or lease, has been expanded to the 250 hectares we farm today.

We currently employ five fulltime staff and several part time and relief milkers. We have three children and our eldest son is now involved in the farming operation also.

Our Farm and Environmental Story

Our farm is located very close to residential areas of New Plymouth, and also has a protected wetland reserve on one of our borders, as well as a large stream running through our property. We are therefore very conscious of the environmental impact of our farming and have made significant efforts to farm sustainable.

These efforts include an on-going riparian planting programme, which has seen all our waterways fenced off and planted out, mainly with native species.

Our commitment to this has seen us win an environmental award from the Taranaki Regional Council, and we were finalists in the 2014 Ballance Farm Environment awards. We have also put three separate blocks of native bush into QEII National Trust protection, with the aim of preserving them in their natural state. We are very much looking forward to sharing our story and our farm with others on December 10.